Active Living by Design and Its Evaluation
Community-based or practice-based interventions and their evaluations often prove difficult to generalize from one setting to another. This article suggests, however, that evaluations of these programs still contribute to the science of evaluation, using lessons from the Active Living by Design (ALbD) evaluation.
This article underscores the difficulties of evaluating unstandardized, changing, community-directed, slow moving changes that many community-based participation interventions present. As opposed to researcher-driven interventions, these community-based or practice-based interventions and their evaluations often prove difficult to generalize from one setting to another; communities are different. This article suggests, however, that evaluations of these programs still contribute to the science of evaluation.
Using lessons from the ALbD evaluation, the authors articulate three lessons from the multiple methods approach used for the program’s evaluation:
- Compared to previous models, the systematic and well-described methods quantifying the community coalitions, intervention goals, and environmental and policy changes are improvements over previous measures.
- The description of specific changes in the 5P intervention areas (preparation, promotion, program, policy influence, and physical projects) provides hypotheses for future studies to examine.
- Expanded evaluations of two communities, Somerville, Mass. and Columbia, Mo., provide models for natural experiment evaluations.
The authors argue that practice-based evaluation is timely, and answers are needed to solve difficult health and health care issues. Using opportunities to evaluate development, applications, and effects will contribute to the larger field of evidence-based practice.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Presents the Evaluation of RWJF's Active Living by Design Program
- 1. Lessons from a Mixed-Methods Approach to Evaluating Active Living by Design
- 2. Capturing Community Change
- 3. Identifying the Role of Community Partnerships in Creating Change to Support Active Living
- 4. Assessment for Active Living
- 5. Evaluation of Physical Projects and Policies from the Active Living by Design Partnerships
- 6. Programs and Promotions: Approaches by 25 Active Living by Design Partnerships
- 7. Active Living by Design: Sustainability Strategies
- 8. Concept Mapping: Priority Community Strategies to Create Changes to Support Active Living
- 9. Evaluation of Active Living by Design
- 10. Evaluation Results from an Active Living Intervention in Somerville, Massachusetts
- 11. Bike, Walk, and Wheel
- 12. A Walking School Bus Program
- 13. Creating a Moment for Active Living via a Media Campaign
- 14. Isanti County Active Living
- 15. Using a Bicycle-Pedestrian Count to Assess Active Living in Downtown Wilkes-Barre
- 16. Active Living by Design's Contributions to the Movement
- 17. Healthy People and the Design Sciences
- 18. Active Living by Design and Its Evaluation
- 19. A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of School-Based Active Living Programs